To travel you do not have to wait for the time you go on vacation. Even on a workweek, there is a time for a trip. To diversify your weekends and to get new impressions and emotions you can make a fantastic trip embracing our programme "short breaks".

Take your friends or family, choose up to three cities you want to visit and make a fabulous journey. In this weekend tour, you can stay for a one or two nights in the places you have chosen. You can be on excursions exploring and admiring the cities during the whole day and enjoy breathtaking views of the places recollecting bright moments of your trip at night. From dawn till night you will be able to see how the cities and everything around you change. Morning day will present the architecture and the landscape in sunlight glory while night will show transformed buildings and streets sinking in illumination.

What is the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to souvenirs from Russia? Of course, it is matryoshka, balalaika, vodka and caviar. Oh, and a hat with ear flaps as well! However, the ear flap hat is now in vogue, and has ceased to be such a rarity, vodka can be bought almost anywhere in the world.

Numerous souvenir shops are vying to sell magnets, mugs and T-shirts with slogans and thematic images (flag and coat of arms of Russia, funny sayings, bears, portraits of politicians and well-known writers), sailor's striped vests, as well as handicrafts. Khokhloma, Gzhel, enamel, birch amulets and Vologda lacework… the assortment is huge! But when you make purchases, don’t lower your guard.
Some unscrupulous sellers may try to sell you cheaper and substandard imitations. Of course, most of the shops have certificates for their goods and buy them directly from factories and workshops.
To help you not to get lost in all this colorful variety and tell how and where it is better to buy particular products, we have prepared separate articles for you on Russian folk crafts.

It makes sense to look for more valuable and rare souvenirs in antique shops.
Old coins, porcelain figurines of the Soviet era, icons, clocks, badges, decorations - one does not know where to look first!
But even here there are potential pitfalls. Apart from the fact that the seller may seriously inflate the price of what you want to buy, arguing that it is older or more valuable than it really is, there may be problems taking it out of the country.

As of today, it is prohibited to take any items of cultural value (books, figurines, icons, pictures, etc.), created prior to January 1, 1964 out of the country.

Important note: items of cultural value do not include cultural goods of serial and mass production, or modern souvenirs.

However, sometimes even an item of mass production manufactured over fifty years ago may attract the close attention of the customs service. If you want to protect yourself from unforeseen delays and undesired proceedings (the item is likely to stay with you, which, alas, cannot be said of your nerve cells), you can send the purchase to your own address by mail, after packing it carefully to avoid damage. Make sure that the package has a warning sign if the item is fragile.

Are you a little confused with all this information? Our team members are always ready to help you navigate all the rules, addresses, products and prices!

You will definitely find something to your liking and within your budget with all the variety of great Russian souvenirs!

Altai cradle of the Turkic world

Altai is the ancestral home of the modern Turkic peoples of the world.

It is the place where the first Turkic tribes appeared and spread to all four corners of the earth. The area they settled is very broad. One side of the Turkic world borders the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The other side borders the Indian Ocean, through the way that the Great Moguls paved. In the north, the homeland of fraternal peoples - the Yakuts and Sakha - border with the Arctic Ocean. And if we take into account that most of the Turks have spread to the Middle East, and that the Korean and Japanese people share common roots with them (their languages belong to the Altaic group of languages), then the fourth side of the Turkic world reaches the Pacific Ocean.

Tour the oldest path of Altai - the Chuysky tract. Its history stretches back into the depths of time. Once upon a time this road was a branch of the Great Silk Road, a "Chinese path", as it was called. At present, it is the main transport artery of the Altai Mountains, which has preserved numerous traces of the people living here. Seminsky pass - Djal-Menku ("Eternal mountain"), 1894m above the sea level - the highest point of the Chui tract.

Taste dishes from the Altai cuisine. Performance of a throat singing master. Hear the secrets of traditional musical instruments.

Spend the night on the grounds of the Uch-Enmek natural park in a hotel, 2 people per room (with shared facilities on the floor). There is an opportunity to order “banya”.

Meals: breakfast, lunch at a roadside cafe (for an additional charge), dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 2

"The secret of the sacred valley" excursion around the territory of the Uch-Enmek park (by car, 40 km).

The park is located in the picturesque Karakol valley. Here, in the Karakol valley, the efforts of millennia is accumulated, expressed in large mounds, stelae (stone pillars), and rock carvings, all from the culture of the Altai people. In archaeological terms - this is one of the richest areas in the Altai Mountains.

The foundation of the complex is the large barrows from Scythian times, belonging to the tribe and tribal nobility. The peak of Karakol valley is Uch-Enmek, which when translated means "Three crowns", a sacred mountain of the Altaians.

Travel to Aktash village (by car, 170 km).

On our way we will drive through the Chike-Taman ("Flat sole") pass. The height of the pass is 1460 m. Throughout the Chui tract there are a lot of interesting places to visit, and to become acquainted with their histories and legends: the Katunsky terraces, the Yaloman fortifications, the Suspension Bridge of Tsaplin, the stone sculptures, the rock paintings, the burial mounds, the confluence of Chuya and Katun, the Katun and Chui bums, the Kalbak-Tash sanctuary, and the White Bom, for example.

Accommodation in the "Nomad" campsite, in wooden yurts or houses for 2-4 people (facilities in the local area). You will have an opportunity to order a “banya”.

Meals: breakfast, dinner in the settlement, lunch at a roadside cafe.

Day 3. Travel to Kosh-Agach village (by car, 100 km).

Traveling along the Kurai and Chui steppes will show you one more feature of the natural Altaic uniqueness, as you will see the change between all different types of natural terrains, and appreciate the charm of each of them. You will visit the Tarhatinsky megalithic complex, accompanied by a local resident who has the knowledge necessary to visit it. The Tarhatinsky megalithic complex, or "The Stone Cradle" as it called by locals, is one of the oldest stone structures of the Altai. Unusual geophysical features of the complex were used both as the oldest astrological observatory and as a cult center, sanctuary and a sacred place of fertility.

Accommodation in the "Rasul" hotel in the Kosh-Agach village for 2 people per room (with shared facilities in the room).

Meals: at a local restaurant.

Day 4

Get to know the Telengits’ way of life.

A trip to the parking lot where local residents carry out economic activities: horses, sheep, yuks - each participant will be able to feel like a real shepherd;

You will get acquainted with their way of life and understand how man and nature coexist harmoniously in these high-mountainous steppe conditions.

Return to the hotel.

Meals: breakfast, dinner at the place of accommodation, dinner at a shepherds' house.

Day 5

Travel to the Ulagan village with a stop in Zhana-Aul (by car, 210 km).

The Kazakhs of Chui steppe museum in Zhana-Aul will let you get to know history of the settlement of Kazakhs in Altai and their culture, traditions, and customs. In the museum you will see rich interior decoration, the ancient exhibits where religious ceremonies were held, and modern artifacts.

The Kazakh yurta, with its tools, is one of the most interesting sights you should see. In addition, you will visit the Kazakh Tea Ceremony and have a chance to meet with craftsmen who make carpet using the art of felting.

A walk to Geyser Lake, which will reveal riddles to you and possibly reveal the secrets of your future.

Spend the night in the Ulagan village in a hotel with 2-3 people per room (shower room on the floor).

Today you will take a fascinating trip to the Chulyshman River along the Alpine meadows. Then you will visit the Pazyryk barrows. From the Katu-Yaryk pass, which is 1500 m high, you will have a magnificent view of the valley of the Chulyshman river. Foot descent from the pass. Spend the night in the valley of the Chulyshman river.

Accommodation on the "Stone Mushrooms" campsite in wooden yurts or houses (4-5 people each). Facilities in the local area. There is an opportunity to order “banya”.

Meals: breakfast, dinner at a local restaurant, picnic lunch.

Day 7

Travel to the south Teletskoye Lake (by car, 40 km), and then walk to the Stone Mushrooms (5 km).

The Akkurum tract is one of the famous places in the valley of the Chulyshman River, where giant stone “mushrooms” grow from the depths of the earth. You will learn about the formation of these types of stones.

Accommodation in the "Kirsai" campsite in wooden yurts or houses for 2 people (facilities on the grounds). You will have an opportunity to order “banya”.

Meals at a local restaurant.

Day 8 Relaxing day at the lake.

A lot of true stories can be told and heard about the southern part of the Teletskoye Lake. One of them tells of the Chulishman's Annunciation Monastery, which was the second friary of the Tomsk diocese. During the late XIX and early XX centuries this monastery changed its location due to floods in the Chulyshman River estuary. And in 1901 the monastery was moved for the third time to a place called Kairo. You will visit the sulphuric water springs (5 km from the Chulyshman River), which has medicinal properties. This is a sacred place for the Altaians.

Accommodation in the Kirsai camping tour in wooden yurts or houses for 2 people (facilities on the grounds). You will have an opportunity to order “banya”.

Meals at a local restaurant.

Day 9. Travel to the Artybash village (by boat, 80 km).

Excursion across the water of Teletskoye Lake. Teletskoe Lake is one of the main sights and mysteries of the Altai Mountains. Local residents call it "Altyn-Köl", which means "Golden Lake". Visit the Korbu waterfall, the lake’s most famous tourist attraction.

Accommodation in the Artybash Hotel for 2 people per room (with shared facilities in the room).

Meals at a local restaurant.

Day 10. Travel to Gorno-Altaysk

On the way you will visit a small museum, dedicated to the Altai Storyteller N. U. Ulagashev l. The complex includes a guest yurt, a house-manor, and a handicraft workshop. Nikolai Ulagashevich is compared with Homer and Alexander Pushkin, and is called the property of the nation. Despite being illiterate, he could tell poems and fairy tales for several days at a time. He knew thirty-two poems and more than a hundred tales. He performed his tales using a special kind of throat singing - kai. You will visit the Anokhin National Museum where the mummy of the famous Altai princess rests in a closed glass sarcophagus.

Accommodation in the Igman hotel. Standard rooms for 2 people (with shared facilities in the room).

Felt is a calling card of the Turkic people. Goods made from felt helped them survive in extreme climate conditions.

Turkic people began to use felt as a building material. Yurts made with felt were–and still are–an indispensable type of house for the Turkic peoples.

Felt products do not get wet, which is why this material is used in the making of clothes like cape-epancha, burka, headdresses, and others

Return to the hotel.

Depart for Barnaul (250 km by car).

Departure to Gorno-Altaisk airport the next morning (by car, 40 km). You will need to arrange accomodation in Barangol village for one night before departure. The cost of accommodation is not included in the tour price.